WHEN Yatton Keynell man Will Lawton and South African Peter van Pletzen had a close encounter with a shark, little did they know the meeting would lead to a whole new musical endeavour.

The two men were surfing on Boxing Day 1997 in South Africa when a huge shark passed just a few feet beneath them and they vowed to meet again the future.

Now, nearly four years later, the chance meeting has culminated in the release of a new CD and the creation of a new musical group called the Zennor Project.

The band is a group of six musicians, two of whom are from the Chippenham area.

Both Will Lawton and guitarist Neil Muttock, from Grittleton, are former Sheldon School students.

Along with South African percussionist and fire dancer Peter van Pletzen, singer songwriter Tracy Jane Sullivan, Australian bassist Tim Jones and Ash Moffat on drums, the Chippenham men moved down to Cornwall earlier in the year.

Mr van Pletzen was living in a converted pig shed, along with a sow and ten piglets, in a village called Zennor.

They rented a flat in nearby Marazion, opposite St Michael's Mount, and rehearsed every day in the pig shed.

"Very quickly the vibe and the songs came together," said Mr Lawton.

The set moves across varying musical styles but with plenty of drive and energy.

The band played gigs at Penzance, St Ives and the Camel Rock Festival on the Scilly Isles.

A more unusual performance took place on the half-submerged Chapel Rock in front of St Michael's Mount.

The Zennor Project recorded a mini album called Twist in the autumn, including video of the Chapel Rock show.

Now Mr Lawton is planning to bring the band home, with concerts planned for Bath and Chippenham in 2002.

The band hopes to tour the country before making a trip to South Africa.

The EP Twist, which costs £8, is available from the White Hart in Castle Combe, Replay Records in Bath, and www.thezennorproject.co.uk.

Mr Lawton describes the band's sound as eclectic, quirky, and flowing with a magical and immersive sound.